coffee
by chubbynlite
Summary: it all started with a cup of coffee. a juey story told in snippets. COMPLETE.
1. medium black

_medium black_

I sighed, my breath puffing out and dissipating in front of me. I made my way down the empty street, eager to find a nice, simple coffee shop. As big as this town was, the only places that had coffee was Starbucks or some hipster place with overpriced coffee.

I just wanted a normal coffee shop where I could sit down and relax. Somewhere where it was quiet. It had taken some googling and asking around, but I had finally found something. My GPS told me my destination would be on the left and I smirked. Here goes nothing.

As soon as I stepped into Jo's Coffee Shop, I let out a sigh of relief. It was perfect.

It was quiet, an old couple sitting in the corner, a few people tapping away on their phones and laptops. The barista was facing away from me, wiping down the counters behind the register. As I stepped up to the counter, she turned around, snapping her towel. She smiled at me, "Welcome to Jo's. What can I get for you?"

"Medium black coffee," I replied, taking in her strawberry blond curls sitting atop her head. She told me the price and I grabbed my wallet, handing her the exact change in exchange for my coffee. Her emerald eyes were striking against her skin and hair, her gold bamboo hoops framing her face. "Have a nice day."

"You too." I nodded as I made my way over to the window seat.

* * *

 **A/N: these are snippets so the chapters will be short BUT I will be updating 2 chapters every other day! The story is more than halfway written so I should be able to keep up the updates. thank you for reading.**


	2. sweet potato

_sweet potato_

The next day I found myself walking back to the coffee shop. I tried to tell myself that it was the good coffee and nice atmosphere, but my mind kept wandering back to the barista's green eyes and strawberry blonde hair.

When I got in, she was cleaning up a couple tables. As soon as she noticed me, she smiled. "I'll be right with you." I nodded and stood at the counter. It was empty except for me, her and one lady sitting at a table in the corner. Then again, it was almost ten at night. I watched as she wiped up the tables, noticing how she tripped over her feet several times. As soon as she was done, she hustled behind the counter. "Sorry about that. What can I get you?"

"No problem." I shrugged. Her name tag said Jazmine with a huge heart next to it. "Medium black coffee." she nodded her head and punched it in the register. I wanted to say something else but small talk had never been my strong point. "How… how good are the muffins?"

"They're pretty good," she said, handing me my coffee, "but I'm biased since I'm the one who makes them."

"Which is the best? In your biased opinion." I asked, smiling myself at the genuine smile spread across her face. She told me it was between orange cranberry and sweet potato. "Guess I'll take a sweet potato muffin then."

She punched it in, "$6.49." She said as she grabbed a muffin from the display case and handed it to me. I handed her the money and as she was counting the change, she looked up at me. "You look really familiar. Do you go to WU?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I transferred when the semester started. What's your major?"

Jazmine shrugged, "I'm majoring in history, minoring in education. How about you?"

"Law." I smiled, taking a sip of my coffee.

"That's cool," she nodded. A ringing from the back came through and she sighed. "Alright, t hat's my signal to start cleaning up. If you see me on campus don't be scared to say hey."

"Same to you," I said as I walked out and started to head home.


	3. anywhere

_anywhere_

The next few days I had gone to Jo's, Jazmine had been nowhere to be found. I tried to tell myself I wasn't disappointed, I was only going for coffee, not her. Even if she had happened to be there, I would just order my coffee and head back home.

It was Friday morning when I ran into her again — literally.

"Damn, I'm sorry," Jazmine mumbled as she bent down to pick up the two notebooks she dropped. As soon as she looked up at me a smile bloomed on her face. "Hey, it's you. All you had to do was say hi if you wanted to talk to me."

"I'm pretty sure it was you who bumped into me," I said as I picked up a pen that had rolled off to the side.

"We don't have to get into specifics..." She paused. "I never got your name."

"Huey."

"Niiiiiceeee. Nice to meet you, I'm Jazmine." she smiled wide and stuck her hand out. I shook her hand and she let out a heavy sigh. "So, where are you heading?"

"I was just heading home."

"Oh really? Me too. Well, to my dorm." She shoved her notebooks into her oversized purse. "Do you want to grab something to eat?"

I was shocked. I hadn't really expected her to ask that. "Yeah, sure. I'd like that." I nodded my head. I hadn't really had anything planned for when I got home. I had a shitload of work to do. An hour or two wasn't so bad, I could spare some time.

"Where to?" She smiled, immediately sliding her arm into mine.

Usually, I would've shrugged away from a touch from a stranger but hers didn't feel so weird. "Anywhere you want." And with that, she dragged me away to wherever she had in mind."

 **oOo**

"I hope you like Indian food." she smiled as she told the waiter that it was just the two of us.

I shrugged, "Yeah, but it depends on who makes it."

"They have good stuff, promise." She glanced down at the small double-sided menu. "The tikka masala is pretty good."

"I'm vegetarian, actually," I said, taking a look at the menu.

"Oh, okay! They have some vegetarian stuff too. Also really good." Jazmine smirked. The waiter came back around to get our drinks. Ten minutes later we ordered our food, where we sat in an awkward silence. Jazmine squeezed the lemon into her water and stared at me. "You're not much of a talker, hm?"

"Uh…" I trailed off, stumped. I wasn't much of a talker but I wasn't expecting her to call me out. I sighed, "I'm not. Sorry, I'll try to talk more."

She shooed at me, "No worries, I kinda put you on the spot." All I did was nod my head. I've seen her all but three times and she asked me to get lunch. To say I wasn't prepared was an understatement. "Why don't you just tell me about yourself? As cliche as that sounds."

It was cliche but at least it was a starting point.


	4. just for coffee

_just for coffee_

"Granddad, can I borrow twenty bucks?" I asked, already prepared for his lecture on 'not spending his damn money'.

"For what?" He said, leaning further back in his recliner, looking up at me past his glasses.

"Just for coffee." I sighed.

"Coffee don't cost no damn twenty dollars. What you think, I'm a damn money tree or something?" He grumbled at me. Despite that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"It'll last me for a week. I just need it till I get paid."

"Yeah, whatever. Here you go. Now go clean the damn bathroom." He snapped as he handed me a crisp twenty-dollar bill. He liked to complain but I never asked for money. If it was anyone who was cleaning out his pockets, it was Riley's broke ass.


	5. slush

_slush_

It was pouring outside. Cold, freezing rain that was slowly turning into dirty slush on the ground. I had no umbrella and I was thoroughly soaked and freezing. I knew it was cold but I wasn't expecting rain and my fleece hoodie wasn't helping now that it was dripping wet.

"Huey?" A soft voice called behind me. I turned around to see Jazmine bundled up in tow with an umbrella. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"Not enough," I said between chattering teeth.

"I can see that," Jazmine said as she held her umbrella over the both of us. "How long does it take for you to get home?"

"A good twenty minutes."

"Okay, you're coming back to my room. Let's go." Jazmine demanded, pulling me away by my arm.

"What?"

"My room. Five minutes versus twenty-minute walk? Now come on, you're gonna get sick! I can dry your clothes and I have blankets to keep you warm."

I sighed, knowing she wouldn't take no for an answer and walked along with her.


	6. warm

_warm_

I sighed in relief as soon as we stepped foot into her dorm. "Sorry, it's kinda messy." She said as she breezed past me and started picking things up off the floor. "You can take that jacket off and I'll go put it in the dryer for you."

I nodded and peeled off my wet jacket to reveal my soaking shirt, stuck to my skin.

"It's fine, I can dry that too." She smiled at me, a slight blush on her cheeks. With that, I took my shirt off. We traded wet clothes for a warm blanket. "I'll be right back. Try to keep warm."

"Alright," I said as she left. I glanced around her room. The other side was occupied so she obviously had a roommate, but Jazmine's side of the room was very dark, something I hadn't considered. She seemed like the girl to have a room plastered in pink and purple.

I sat down at the desk and laid my head down. The door clicked open and I heard a loud, "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Jazmine's," I said as the girl flipped her blonde hair back.

"Okay, so why you shirtless?"

Another click and Jazmine was back. "Oh hey, Cindy."

"Is this your boyfriend?" Cindy smirked and winked at Jazmine before glaring daggers at me.

"I don't have a boyfriend, you know that," Jazmine whined.

"Then how come homeboy is shirtless?" Cindy sucked her teeth, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Stoooop, oh my gosh. Don't you have anything better to do?" Jazmine groaned, pushing her friend through the door and slamming it in front of her. Through the door, she yelled, "Don't come back till later!"

She sighed and sat at her desk, looking at me like she was embarrassed by everything that had transpired. "Sorry, she's really nosy."

"It's fine." I smiled. "Thanks for this, by the way."

"No problem. It'd suck if you got sick. Besides, we're friends, right?" She smiled back at me, cradling her face in her hands.

Friends? I wouldn't have used that word to describe us, but it sounded pretty nice coming from her.


	7. keep in touch

_keep in touch_

"Medium black?" Jazmine said as she saw me walk up to the counter. I nodded my head and pulled out a five-dollar bill. I had enough money to get more, but the only reason I stopped by Jo's was to see Jazmine in the first place. It'd been a good two weeks since I'd seen her and even though we weren't really spending time together beforehand, I could admit that I missed her. She handed me my drink and gave me my change. "Can I take my break with you?"

"Yeah, of course." I nodded, taking a timid sip of the piping hot coffee.

"Alright, give me a few minutes to knock this line out." She said, gesturing to the people behind me. I moved out the way and headed over to my usual window seat, watching the light dusting of snow cover the ground outside. Sure enough, ten minutes later she was making her way over to me. "So, how have you been?"

"I can't really complain. You?"

"So busy. Between work and school, it's like I can't catch a break. Sorry, we haven't talked in a while." She took a bite out of her chocolate chip muffin.

"No problem. Do what you have to do." I smirked. Talking to Jazmine was easy now. She always carried on the conversation and didn't take my lack of talking negatively.

"So… do you think we can trade numbers?" A small blush grew across her cheeks. "Just so we can talk more."

I was stumped once again. "Yeah, I don't see why not." I could feel my face getting hot, but I brushed it off. She handed me her phone, I gave her mine and we exchanged numbers. We spent the rest of her break talking about how classes were going and some recent events. When her break was over, she turned to look at me.

"Text me tonight, okay?"


	8. you owe me

_you owe me_

 _Hey Huey, it's Jazmine._

 _ **Hey, what's up?**_

 _Not much, you?_

 _I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to a Halloween party with me?_

 _ **Parties aren't really my thing.**_

 _It won't be that bad! Pleaseeee?_

 _ **Fine. Do I have to dress up?**_

 _It's only right. So get in the spirit! :)_

Inwardly, I rolled my eyes. She was asking me if I wanted to go to a Halloween party… three days before Halloween. Then again, she was asking _me_ in the first place. Maybe a few drinks would help out with all the stress from school.

 _ **Alright**_

 _ **What should I wear?**_

 _Anything! I'm dressing up as Leeloo from The Fifth Element._

 _ **Fine, I'll go. You owe me for this, just letting you know.**_

 _Discounted coffee for two weeks?_

I shook my head and smirked at her text. Discounted coffee would have to be enough.


	9. mood killer

_mood killer_

It was less than fifty degrees outside and Jazmine was wearing nothing. Not literally nothing, but she might as well have been. I knew the outfits from The Fifth Element, but I hadn't even considered that she would be wearing that. The small white scraps covered up the parts that mattered and little else. "Does it look bad?" She asked sheepishly, turning around to look herself over.

"No," I grumbled, looking away from her. That was the problem, she looked too good. And every movement she made had more buttcheek hanging out than before.

Her frown vanished, and she nodded her head. "Okay good. Thanks again for coming with me." She smirked, adjusting her bright orange wig and grabbing my arm to pull me along with her.

The hardest part was over. I was already out the house and ready. Now I just had to make an effort to actually have fun tonight and not make Jazmine think I'm some lame introvert who doesn't go anywhere, which was only slightly true.

We climbed into my granddad's car, that I was grateful enough to even have for the night. It took three and a half hours to convince him to let me drive it. I turned the ignition and blasted the heat, mostly for Jazmine because I could visibly see how cold she was.

"Soooo, are you excited?" Jazmine grinned at me.

"Not really."

"You're such a mood killer! How can I get you to have fun?" Her lips turned into a slight pout and when I didn't reply she simply rolled her eyes. "We'll get some drinks in you and you'll loosen right up. I hope you're talkative once you get some liquor in you."

"Yeah, don't get your hopes up," I said, rolling my eyes right back at her.

 **OoO**

Even though I told myself that I wouldn't drink anything, one jello shot came after the other and now everything was hazy. Jazmine wasn't faring any better than I was, hanging off of me as she slurped another shot.

"WOO!" She shouted, throwing her arm up in the air and in the process flinging the plastic solo cup somewhere across the room.

"Let's… let's sit down…" I mumbled, dragging her along with me to find a couch where someone wasn't dry humping. Once I found one, I fell back into it effortlessly. Jazmine quickly fell into my lap, her ass pressed perfectly against me. "Jazmine…" I said, starting to push her off to the side.

"Stop Huey, gosh… Take a hint," she mumbled, seating herself back into my lap and leaning forward as she started to wiggle against me. I wanted to push her away and pull her closer at the same time. And what did she mean, take a hint? What hint?

I groaned loudly, "You're makin' me hard Jazmine…"

"Mhmm." She nodded slowly, switching from wiggling to straight out grinding. As thin as her little costume was, I could feel the outline of her. I could swear she wasn't wearing any panties. I groaned again, swatting down the shot she was about to toss back. Yeah, this was nice, but she was drunk. I was drunk.

"Stop," I said, lifting her up and putting her down next to me. I took a moment to recompose myself.

"Whyyyy?" She pouted.

"We're drunk. 'Is not right." I breathed out slowly, trying to get myself under control. She nodded her head once, clearly upset before a smile replaced it.

Of course, I wanted her. I just wanted to make sure she wanted me too.


	10. talk to you later

_talk to you later_

"I did _WHAT?_ " Jazmine shouted, causing everyone around us to look in our direction. Her face slowly turned into a dark red that quickly spread down past her chest. I winced. I didn't want to tell her, but it'd be wrong not to let her know. I started to say something when she quickly cut me off, "OhmygoshHuey. I'm sorry. I'm _not_ like that."

"We were drunk. It's not a big deal." I shrugged, trying to downplay everything for Jazmine's sake. "Relax."

"Ohhhh, my gosh." She moaned, hiding her face in her small hands for a moment. Then she abruptly stood up and like nothing had even happened, she said, "I'll talk to you later." then walked away.

"Wait, Jazmine," I said as she continued to walk away. Once she was in the back of the store, I knew it was a lost cause. I shook my head slowly. "Damn."

That night I texted her a few times, even called her once, but she didn't bother replying.


	11. strong point

_strong point_

I hadn't been to Jo's in a while because of the whole incident with Jazmine. I was awkwardly ordering my usual when Jazmine randomly asked me, "Are you good at math?"

"Why?" I said, grabbing my drink from her. Of course, I was good at math, it was one of my many strong points.

"Because I'm failing. I need help." She grumbled.

"I can help you." I sighed. There wasn't anyone behind me so I didn't bother to move. I took a sip of my coffee. "Just how hopeless are you?"

"Like eighty-five percent. So please, please help me before I have to take my final."

"I already said I would," I smirked at her. At least she was talking to me again after our little, thing, at the party. After bringing it up to her she avoided me like the plague for two whole weeks. Early last week, when she saw me come in, she actually ran into the back of the store and a good minute later one of her coworkers came out in her place.

I guess her need to pass math was worth facing the embarrassment.


	12. something

_something_

The library was surprisingly empty. Well, it wasn't really that surprising. It was Saturday night. I hadn't really wanted to come all the way over to campus at eight at night, but the alternative was having Jazmine come to me, which meant she would meet Riley and Granddad.

I loved them to death, but I could just imagine the shitstorm that would be.

I sighed and glanced at Jazmine. "Where should we start?"

She looked more than stressed out like she had aged a few years at the thought of even doing the math. "From the beginning."

"The beginning?" I paused, "Okay, um… how much do you know?"

"None of it." She deadpanned.

"How am I supposed to teach you math from the beginning? Did you ask your teacher for your help?"

"My teacher sucks, I don't understand anything she does!" She grunted as she went to drop her head on the table. I quickly slid the notebook over, muffling the thump her head made. Under my breath, I questioned if it was the teacher's fault or just Jazmine's.

Forty minutes later, we had hardly made any progress. I grit my teeth, why the hell couldn't she memorize basic formulas that everyone learned at least twice in high school? I tried explaining it to her in every single way that I knew how, easiest to hardest, to try and get it to click in her head. No luck.

Jazmine groaned and put her head down on the table. "I'm sorry. I'm helpless."

I sighed and shook my head. "Relax, it's fine. Maybe everything will be multiple choice on the final. If we focus on what shouldn't be the answer, we can at least get you a seventy-five or fifty percent chance of you choosing the right answer."

She sighed, "There's no point. I give up." She paused for a minute. "Can I be honest with you? I knew this was hopeless. I just wanted to have a reason to hang out."

"Oh… You could've just asked?" I said meekly.

"Yeah, but you always seem so no-nonsense. So I figured study to date was the best bet." She shrugged, twirling her pen around.

"Well, next time you can just ask. I like hanging out with you." I replied truthfully. I did like hanging out with Jazmine, even if it had only been a handful of times so far.

Maybe I was being unrealistically hopeful, but I just knew we could be something.


	13. an open book

_an open book_

"What kinda music do you like?" Jazmine said before taking a bite of her sandwich. We were doing an impromptu study session. I hadn't planned on seeing her today, but I had ran into her while I was heading home. She always caught me at the weirdest times.

"Rap, hip-hop, neo-soul. A lot. I guess it's whatever I'm in the mood for." I liked to think that I had a large knowledge of music and was very open to most genres. "You?"

"Same. Oh, and pop. I love pop," she smirked as she closed her book and I sighed, closing mine too. Twenty-five minutes had gone by and we had yet to actually talk about anything regarding school. She put her head in her hands and stared at me, a huge grin on her face. "You're so interesting, but you're like a mystery. I mean we've known each other for how long now?"

The answer was one month and two weeks, but I shrugged my shoulders. "A few weeks? And I'm an open book."

"Yeah, when I ask! I know you're from Chicago, studying law, you have a brother and you live with him and your granddad… I figured out you're quiet and smart on my own." Jazmine rolled her eyes at me.

"Why does it matter?"

Jazmine blushed, "You're so… dense. Why else would it matter?

I looked at her like she had grown a second head. Why did girls always answer a question with a question?


	14. opposites

_opposites_

Jazmine was a friendly girl. I learned pretty quickly that she could make friends with just about anybody without trying. She's welcoming, happy, almost always cheerful and very polite.

Me, on the other hand, I was rough around the edges. It's not like I didn't know how to socialize, I just rarely wanted to. I had my friends and I liked to cut to the chase. I hated small talk, it was pointless. I had never been all smiley and cheerful.

Me and Jazmine were opposites. She was up and I was down. So, anytime she dropped what I thought were hints, I dismissed them immediately. If she was going to date somebody, she'd want someone who could match her excitement and passion.

I sighed and shook my head. Riley sucked his teeth, "Stop thinking and play the damn game, nigga."

"Sorry," I grunted, starting the next round.

When we were finally done playing, meaning Riley was going to play a game I didn't like, he finally asked me what was going on. "Whatchu was thinking about?'

I shook my head, "Just some girl." She wasn't really some girl but for the sake of Riley not bothering me, it'd have to do.

Obviously, I was wrong. Riley smirked at me. "What she look like?"

"Too old for you?"

"So what? I can pull college bitches." He sucked his teeth at me again.

I pulled my phone out and went through our messages. Jazmine had been upset that I didn't have a snapchat and wouldn't download one just for her, so she opted to send me everything through text. I had pictures of her in weird costumes, face masks, everything imaginable. I pulled up the most normal picture I had of her and showed Riley.

"Damn, she look good as hell," he snickered. "You hit?"

"Mind your business." I snapped at him, snatching my phone out of his view.

"Okay nigga, but she fine!"

"Yeah, I know that Riley."

"And what you said shorty name was?"

I hesitated to answer. Knowing Riley's tenacity, he'd have her on every social media by the end of the day if he really put his heart into it. "Jazmine."

"Uh huh. I thought she looked familiar."

"You've met her before?" It wouldn't be surprising. Riley was always out, just like her. It wasn't like this was a huge town and they would never run into each other.

"Yeah, like twice. But her pictures all over the place in the house across the street," he said, pointing his thumb out towards the window. I had only spoken to the couple across the street two or three times, Sarah and Tom. Never did I suspect that they were related.

Great. I guess I'd be seeing Jazmine over Thanksgiving break, which was right around the corner. Just my luck.


	15. thanksgiving fanservice

_thanksgiving fanservice_

Over the past week and a half, the only time I had seen Jazmine was at the coffee shop. I didn't even sit down to drink my coffee. Finding out she was right across the street from me had bothered me for some reason. Maybe because it had caught me completely off guard and I felt like my privacy was being invaded. Which didn't make any sense because it was clear they had lived here longer than we had.

Nevertheless, I wasn't surprised when I heard her voice call my name from across the street. "Huey?!" she shouted excitedly. "I didn't know you lived here! Why didn't you say anything?"

"It never really came up, I guess." I shrugged it off.

"Well, at least I have one friend here with me. Everyone else is on some fancy vacation. I'm glad you'll be here because my parents are so overbearing." She rolled her eyes as she leaned on me.

I guess that explained why she lived on campus when she lived so close. "Yeah, we can hang out."

"Can that start like, right now?" She asked, giving me puppy eyes. I sighed heavily and nodded my head, almost falling over when she hugged me. "Thank you! I mean it when I say they're overbearing. We can do a movie day or something."

"As long as they aren't romantic comedies…" I trailed off.

She scoffed, "Romcoms are great, be quiet. Wanna go to the store to get some snacks?"

"Sure." I shrugged. She nodded, saying she'd be right back. Five minutes later we were walking to the grocery store. "So how come your parents are overbearing?"

She sighed, "I don't know. They always have been. Good grades, do this, do that. You know… I got accepted into my dream school in Florida and they said I couldn't go. All so that they could have some type of control over me."

I nodded. I guess that was reason enough to be upset. "Why not just go on your own?"

"Because I wouldn't get help from FAFSA because my parents make good money. They're paying for just about everything right now."

She seemed stressed out over her parents so instead of continuing the topic, I switched it. "I guess you'll be at my place this whole break, huh?"

"Yup." She laughed at me. Ten minutes later we were in the candy aisle. I didn't get anything because I didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but Jazmine was having trouble picking from all the options. She groaned, "Mike and Ikes, Cookie Dough Bites, or Reese's Pieces? Which one Huey?"

"How about none? Why don't we just get some fruit."

"That defeats the purpose of a movie day. Speaking of that, let's make it a movie night too? I _really_ don't want to go home."

"Not like I had a choice. Look, get… this." I said, grabbing a box of peanut chews and handing them to Jazmine. "Now let's go get some fruit."

She sighed at me, "You're no fun."

I simply rolled my eyes. Once we had everything and it was all paid for, we were headed back home. The talk was the same as always, her rambling on and me filling in when I felt like it or when she gave me the chance. I was distracted though. Every few steps, I would fall behind her, and my eyes would be drawn to the swaying of her hips as she walked. I'd just bite my lip, catching up with her and trying not to fall behind. I was only slightly grateful once we got to my house.

"And hello, cutie pie."

"Hi, Mr. Freeman." Jazmine smiled at my granddad.

I arched a brow, "You know each other?"

"Well, I'm friends with her dad, Tom. And it is her house so yeah, I have met lil Jazmine." My granddad said nicer than I've ever heard him talk before. He gave me a questioning look as Jazmine was taking off her shoes and jacket and before he could open his mouth to ask a question I ushered her up the stairs and into my room.

"What should we watch?" Jazmine said as she sat at my desk.

"Like, I said, anything. As long as it isn't a _romcom,_ as you so put it."

She groaned, "Fine, fine." She took the remote out my hand and clicked on my Netflix account. After it loaded, she did a soft gasp. "You like anime?"

"Yes?"

"Me too! What are your favorite shows?" she smiled at me, getting that look in her eye. Then we dived into an hour-long discussion on anime. Honestly, it was cute. It was obviously something that she really liked. She even convinced me to watch some show that was packed with fanservice and a shitty storyline.

Except, it wasn't that bad watching it with her.


	16. mystery girl

_mystery girl_

Hiro and Caesar were sitting on my bed, looking at me expectantly. Hiro shook his head hopelessly at me. "She was in your room with you until when?"

"Almost two?" I said slowly, confused about why that even mattered in the first place. All we were doing was watching tv and talking.

Caesar snickered, "Huey… Ol girl wants you! Just go for it."

"How would you know that? I'm not gonna look like a dumbass shooting for something that isn't even there."

Hiro sucked his teeth, "Yo, she was _laying_ in bed _next_ to you. And you said it yoursel-"

I cut him off, "-Don't even."

"So you gonna lie and say you not feeling her? Cause I know you are. Just shoot your shot cause the worst that'll happen is she says no." Caesar chimed in again, trying to keep me from yelling.

"Or, she thinks I'm a dog and was expecting something from her and she never wants anything to do with me," I added sarcastically.

Hiro shook his head. "Just be honest. Girls love that honest shit if you word it the right way. It's bout to be December. Two months and you haven't made not one move. You're gonna lose her."

The doorbell rang, and I could only imagine the one person it'd be. I heard the familiar, "Hey there cutie pie." from granddad and I groaned. I was hoping Hiro and Caesar would leave before she got here. She had been showing up at my house right before noon like clockwork for the past three days, so I didn't know what I thought today would be different.

"Is that her?" Caesar asked.

"And we get to see the mystery girl," Hiro said as he rubbed his hands together.

Light footsteps bounded up the stairs. "Hey Huey…" she started right before she turned the corner to my room, only to stop once she saw Hiro and Caesar in the room. "Oops, I didn't know you had company. Want me to come back later?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. "No, it's fine. Jazmine, Caesar, and Hiro. Hiro and Caesar, Jazmine."

"Hi," she smiled wide, plopping down at my desk. Why was she so dressed up today? Every other day she had been wearing hoodies and sweats but today, of all days, she wants to come through in a tight turtleneck and some skinny jeans?

"So, this is the amazing girl Huey keeps talking about." Hiro blurted out. I turned to stare daggers at him. If only looks could kill.

A blush rose to Jazmine's cheeks and she looked down at the ground. "Oh really?" She squeaked.

"Really," Caesar concluded.

"Okay, time for you guys to go. I have plans with Jazmine." I stood up and pointed them in the direction of the door. I winced, realizing that I didn't really phrase it the correct way from the happy glance Jazmine sent my way.

"It was nice meeting you guys!" She smiled, waving goodbye to them.

Caesar nodded, "Hope we get to see you soon."

Hiro stood up, "Same. Later Huey."

"Later," I said, closing the door behind them. They'd find their way out. "Sorry about that."

Jazmine shrugged, "It's fine. They seem really cool. How'd you meet them?"

"Caesar actually transferred from another school in Chicago with me. I've known him since we were little kids though. I've known Hiro since middle school but he always moved around a lot. We just managed to stay in touch and we just ended up at the same place."

"That's so cool. We should all hang out sometime." She smiled as she started to pull her hair back into a high puff. "So, what are today's plans?"

I paused. Be honest or play it off? "Anything, really. All we've been doing is watching tv. Do you want to do something else?"

"Hmm… Between work and school, I feel like I do nothing and now that I get a break I can't even think of anything." She spun around in my chair. "Wanna go out on a date?"

"Huh?" I looked at her.

"A date." She repeated slowly. Her face slowly fell at the lack of response from me. "I'm sorry. We don't have to. I should've read the signs." She started standing up, her face turning redder than I've ever seen it.

"No, no! Of course, I want to go out on a date with you… I just wasn't expecting you to ask?"

That explained why she was so dressed up today. She must have had some type of plan to ask me. It was actually really hot that she had been the one to ask me out. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, great. Want me to come back later or…?"

"Uhm, yeah. Just give me thirty minutes? I'll head over to your house when I'm ready? Where do you want to go?" Then my mind was running rampant with ideas. Would she like lunch and a movie? I didn't have much money to spend, but I'd be willing to spend it on her.

"I was thinking something simple, like the movies? Or lunch. Nothing fancy. We can go half and half or I can pay for my stuff."

"No, it's fine, I got it. Why don't we do both?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you around…" she trailed off, turning to look at the clock, "2:30?"

"Yeah." I nodded, a small smirk on my face.

"Great, I'll see you then."


	17. intertwined

_intertwined_

"Where you goin', nigga?' Riley asked me from his spot on the couch.

"On a date," I replied as I pulled on my black Timberlands.

"With who?" He paused his game to turn around and face me completely, his face about to bust out in laughter.

"With Jazmine?" I grumbled, "Not that it's your business."

"Damn… Jazmine ain't goin' out on no date with your lame ass." Riley shook his head slowly.

"Okay? I guess. I mean, she did ask me," I mumbled as I put my jacket on. That's when Riley took the opportunity to start cackling and before he could manage to get a word out, I was outside, slamming the door behind me. I zipped up my jacket and bounded across the street, halfway across Jazmine had come out and I waved. She met me halfway, a huge grin on her face.

"You ready?" I asked her.

"Yes sir," she nodded at me and headed towards her car. I climbed into the passenger seat as she started the car. "So, what movie do you wanna see?"

"Well, there are a few good ones out right now. I really like scary movies, but I'm fine with anything. Except for romance."

"Hey, don't shit on romance. But I like scary movies too, only during the day though. They're off limits at night." She paused, turning her turn signal on, "Where should we go out to eat?"

"All up to you," I smirked. Would it be the right moment to say something smooth? I mulled over the words in my head, but nothing really seemed right. I cleared my throat, wanting to say something. "You looked great earlier, by the way. Not that you don't look great now, cause you do."

"Thanks, Huey. You looked good too, even in your sweatpants." She sighed softly, turning down the radio slightly. "I really like spending time with you. We've been hanging out every day, all day. I feel like… sometimes you like me and sometimes it's the exact opposite. I just want to know if I'm getting the right signal is all."

I sighed heavily, "I feel the same. I just figured you were friendly with people you considered friends. I didn't want to make you comfortable or anything."

"No, no. I really like you, Huey. Obviously, it doesn't have to be serious but… I wanted to get that out there."

I nodded my head. "I'm glad you said something."

"Mhm. It would've taken you too long to say something yourself." She glanced over at me, smiling teasingly.

oOo

"Wow, I'd thought that more people would be here," Jazmine said as I opened the door to the theater for her. I bought our tickets and she argued for us to at least split the drinks and snacks. We decided on a medium bag of popcorn and a sweet tea to share.

"Well, it is three in the afternoon."

"On a holiday!" she shouted, grabbing the popcorn while I grabbed the drink.

"We have two more days till Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, yeah. Where do you wanna sit?" She asked as we walked into the nearly empty theater.

"Anywhere in the middle." I shrugged my shoulders, following after her. Once we were settled, we put the popcorn and tea between us and I turned my attention towards the previews, oblivious to the glances Jazmine was throwing my way. I tightened up a little when I felt her hand reach for mine, only to relax when I instinctively intertwined my fingers with hers.

"I apologize in advance if I jump all over you," she laughed softly, squeezing my hand gently. As soon as I turned around to face her, I felt her lips press against mine.

I was so caught up in her kiss, the taste of her lip gloss and the feel of her tongue that I hardly noticed that the movie had finally started. She pecked my lips quickly and resituated herself, still holding onto my hand. "We can pick back up later."


	18. senseless

_senseless_

After the movie, we headed towards an Asian restaurant where me and Jazmine spent the next two hours talking and laughing. Now that she had so blatantly said she was interested in me, I felt like a complete idiot for ignoring every signal she sent me. I seriously kept her waiting for two months?

Once we were done at the restaurant we sat in the car talking in between a lot of kissing. I learned quickly that she was very touchy. Her hands went everywhere from my hair and all the way down to my thighs. Another thirty minutes went by before we finally pulled apart from each other for more than a couple seconds. She sighed heavily, "I wish my parents weren't home."

"We can always go to my house. I mean, my family is home too but…" I stopped, shaking my head. Neither Riley nor Granddad would hesitate to barge in or knock my door down.

"It's fine," she shrugged, smiling a little, "The time will come up, right?"

"Yeah, of course." I nodded as I shifted slightly to release the almost painful friction in my jeans. "We can still chill at my house though after this."

Jazmine shook her head, "I can't, sorry. As soon as I get home I'll be swept into cleaning the whole house with my mom. The whole family comes over and she goes into a cleaning frenzy. Speaking of that, I probably won't be over until after Thanksgiving."

"That's fine, I understand." I shrugged. I remember the get togethers for the holidays but once I started living with Granddad, they pretty much stopped. Now we just cooked enough for the three of us and called it a day.

"You're always welcome to come over," Jazmine said softly, "Riley and Mr. Freeman, too."

"Nah, it's no big deal. Thanks for the offer though, I'll let them know."

Jazmine nodded, "Wanna go back to kissing?"

"Yes please."

"Good," she mumbled against my lips.


	19. yes

_yes_

Thanksgiving came and went in the blink of an eye. It was surprisingly ten times more interesting than it was last year. Whether it was because of Jazmine or because Granddad cooked something that I could eat, I didn't know.

Probably a bit of both.

Classes started up, just as expected, and hit me full force with how close finals were. I found myself wanting to spend more and more time with Jazmine, even though most of the time we were both studying for our own classes. More studying meant less time for hanging out and unless I went for a cup of coffee, I rarely saw Jazmine. So, I stopped messing around and texted her to ask if she wanted to hang out and spend a night at my place. It seemed 'fuck-boyish' in Caesar's words exactly, but I didn't mean it in any other way than to just spend some time with her. Granddad was off on some vacation and Riley was at a friend's, so they wouldn't be here to embarrass me.

* * *

sorry for the lack of updates, school hit me harder than expected


	20. bareskin

**a/n: this chapter is a little explicit so if that's not your thing just skip it :)**

* * *

 _bareskin_

"Hey Huey," Jazmine smiled at me as I opened the door. She had a small duffle bag and her purse hanging over her shoulder. "I hope my parents don't wonder why my car is in your driveway."

"I can put it in the garage if you want?" I stepped aside to let her in, closing the door and locking it. I couldn't lie, I was a little nervous. Not that I was expecting anything… but if something did go down, I was wholly prepared. I spent a good thirty minutes at store picking between three different types of condoms, just in case she didn't like a certain brand.

"Later? It's gonna be dark soon so I'm not too worried." She shrugged off her jacket and hung it up in the closet as she kicked off her boots. "Where is everyone?"

"It's actually just me. Well, you and me now." I grabbed her bags and brought them to my room and when I came back into the living room, she was sitting on the couch. I had to be a little bit bolder if we were going to get anywhere. At the pace we were going, some other guy would catch her attention and she'd leave me alone. Not that she was that type of girl, but one could only wait for so long.

She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and covered up with it. She smiled at me and patted the spot next to her. "So, we have the place to ourselves?"

I sat down without hesitation, letting her wrap me up in the blanket. She scooted closer and laid her head on my shoulder. "Yeah, all to ourselves," I repeated, swallowing the slight lump in my throat.

"Are you finally going to shoot your shot?" She glanced at me, eyebrow arched.

"What?"

"You heard me, Huey." She rolled her eyes, "I've been waiting since our date for you to try something. I already told you I really like you."

"I just didn't think you'd have time to do anything because of finals coming up." I wrapped my arm around her waist, squeezing it tightly as I turned to kiss her. I was happy to see that she returned it with just as much excitement as me. I trailed my other hand up to her inner thigh, stopping mid-way.

Jazmine laughed softly against my lips before pulling away. "Don't think I'm making anything easy." Jazmine teased, pressing another chaste kiss against my lips as she climbed on my lap. I was so overwhelmed by her. Her scent, her warmth, the fact that she was even here with me, kissing me like the world depended on it. My hands slid up the side of her shirt and I squeezed her waist roughly. "I really like you Huey," she muttered as she kissed down to my neck.

"I like you, too," I mumbled, sighing softly as I tilted my head to the side. I pushed her shirt up, slowly bunching it up underneath her breasts. I slid my hands back down her hips and onto her ass, cupping it as I pushed her hips against mine.

"Don't make me look stupid," she said as she kissed her way to the other side of my neck. Slowly, she started rocking her hips against mine. Finally her hands reached down to pull my shirt off and I happily obliged. As I took mine off, she followed suit and I stopped to admire her. The fullness of her breast, the stretch marks that climbed up towards her chest.

Self-consciously, she moved her hands to cover them up. "Stop staring."

"What? They're fine. I don't care about any of that." I shook my head, kissing the tops of her breasts. I didn't care about stretch marks and I didn't care that they weren't the perkiest. I brought her arms down and slid my hand underneath the back of her bra strap. I lifted her up and laid her on her back, caging myself between her legs.

"Are you sure?" She asked nervously.

"They're real, I love them," I said honestly. I trailed kisses down her breasts, to her stomach and to her navel. I stopped right above the waistband of her jeans, looking up at her for permission. She nodded her head and I wasted no time getting them off her. I kneeled above her, looking down at her clad in a just a bra and some boy shorts and bit my bottom lip. "My room?"

"Sounds a lot more comfortable." She started to sit up but before she could stand, I picked her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around me, "Are you really carrying me?" She laughed, a blush on her face.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked as I laid her down on my bed, taking off my jeans before I slid back in between her thighs.

"Just unexpected," she shrugged, still smiling at me. I simply nodded, capturing her lips as I slid my hand down the front of her underwear. Already, she was wet, and she shivered at my touch. I didn't waste any time getting down to business, I wanted to impress her. I wanted her to know that I could please her. So I teased her sensitive bundle of nerves until she was gasping and moaning against my lips. I pulled away from her to whisper in her ear, "Do you want more?" When she simply nodded, I shook my head and stopped touching her completely. "Say it."

"I want more, Huey. I want you." She whined out.

I nodded, tugging down her boy shorts far enough for her to kick them off. I slide two fingers inside her, damn near coming in my boxers at how hot, tight, and wet she was. "Fuck," I moaned loudly as I kissed my way back down her body. She opened her legs for me and I licked my lips. I wanted to dive in seeing how wet she was. It also helped how nice it looked, neatly trimmed light brown hair covering her mound and lips. I spread her lips slowly, diving right in.

I lapped, sucked, and twirled my tongue the best I could, determined even more as I heard her moans get louder and louder as time passed. Soon she was screaming my name shakily, pushing my head into the apex of her thighs as she came. Once her body relaxed, I pulled away to get some air before going back, cleaning her up, teasing her as much as I could. I looked up at her, her body heaving slowly.

"Wow," she mumbled.

"So it was good?" I smirked while she was distracted, I had managed to slip my hand underneath her and unhook her bra.

"It was great." She sat up, taking her bra off completely before laying back down.

"Good," I said quietly as I laid down at her side, looking down at her.

"My turn," she said as she caught my lips in a quick kiss. She pushed me down on my back and slowly kissed her way down my chest and stomach, tugging my boxers down slowly. I let out a small gasp as my dick finally came out my boxers, free of the restraint. She wrapped her small hand around me and slowly started to pump her hand up and down. All I could do is let out little pants and close my eyes.

I was going to say something but before the words could escape my lips, her head was in my lap, her mouth working along with her hand. I bit my bottom lip, letting out groans as she bobbed her head up and down. She pulled out every move, not bothering how sloppy she was getting. It didn't take long before I was ready to cum. I warned her, so she could back away but to my surprise she kept going until I came, and well after that, which left me twitching in her mouth. I moaned lowly as she sucked a few more times before sliding my dick out her mouth. I watched as she swallowed and smiled right in front of me.

"Need a break before round two?" Jazmine said as she smiled at me devilishly.


	21. wrong idea

_wrong idea_

I usually woke up early. At the latest, I'd be up at nine. So when I glanced at my alarm clock to see that it was almost one in the afternoon, I was surprised.

Well, not really.

We had been up until at least two in the morning. There was a lot of teasing and bumbling around, trying to see what each other liked but once we had gotten it figured out, it was more than amazing. By the end of the night, me and Jazmine were two to three.

"You're finally up," Jazmine yawned, "My mom texted me this morning. She saw my car when she went to go get the mail and suggested I move it before my dad wakes up and assumes the worst. Then again that was three hours ago."

"The worst, which would be true," I laughed. "I'll go move your car. It's cold out."

"You sure?" She asked softly, sitting up and pulling the blankets up with her.

"Yeah, your keys are in the living room, right?" I got up, pulling on my sweatpants and a hoodie. She nodded her head and I went out to grab her keys and the garage opener. I quickly moved her car in the garage, realizing as I was walking back into the house that she wasn't planning on leaving soon. I smiled to myself.

Another day with Jazmine wouldn't be so bad, sex or not.


	22. tedious

_tedious_

"I _really_ don't want to be here Jazmine," I groaned as she pulled me into the nail salon. I breathed in the smell of what I could only assume was nail polish and acetone.

"You'll love it, I promise," Jazmine rolled her eyes.

A short Asian man looked up from his chair, "What are you getting?"

Jazmine answered without any hesitation, "Two pedicures, and I'm getting my eyebrows done."

He nodded, said something in what I was sure was Cantonese and told us to go sit in the two chairs. Jazmine nodded and headed over to the large assortment of nail polish on the wall. "What color should I get?"

"They're blue now, right? I think you should get white."

That brought on the debate of _which_ white to get and it took everything in me to keep from groaning out loud. A small part of me knew this would be more tedious than necessary. On the other hand, I loved knowing that Jazmine took care of herself and treated herself to pedicures every other week.

So if Jazmine wanted to drag me along to the nail salon, then so be it.


	23. sauce

_sauce_

It took a lot for me to say yes, but Jazmine was at my house having dinner with us. She hadn't spent too much time around Riley and Granddad, and a small part of me wanted to keep that going. They didn't pay enough attention or care enough to not slip up and say something potentially stupid or embarrassing.

Then again, it was nice having her here. She even offered to cook, brought the groceries and everything and now I was watching her in action. I knew that she liked baking because she did at Jo's, but I didn't even know that she liked to cook. Everything was clean and in place and she knew exactly what she was doing. "Do you want me to do anything?' I asked quietly, standing behind her.

"No, I got it," she said as she sautéed the chicken in the pan. She covered it with a lid then moved onto the boiling pasta. "I'm gonna keep the chicken separate, okay?"

"Alright, you ready for the sauce?" I said, looking around for the jar of alfredo sauce. I moved out of her way, so she could dump the pot of noodles.

"I'm making the sauce?" She turned around from the drained pot of noodles.

"You can make alfredo sauce?"

"Yes, I can make alfredo sauce. Surprised?" She smirked at me and grabbed another pan from a cabinet. "I got spinach and mushrooms, do you want both?"


	24. touch

_touch_

Jazmine was one of the most lovey dovey girlfriend's I had ever had. If we were together, she was touching me in one way or another. It didn't seem to matter to her if it was something as simple as our thighs touching or as much as cuddling, she appreciated it all. It wasn't that it annoyed me, but it was just something to get used to.

I had been with other girls before but the only time I would touch them was if we were kissing, having sex or holding hands. In my mind, it didn't seem necessary to seem as if we were attached at the hip but with Jazmine, I didn't mind so much.

I looked forward to it so much that I found myself initiating contact.

 _I_ reached for her hand. _I_ would kiss her randomly in the first place my lips would land. _I_ would close the gap between us when we were sitting down watching TV. It was just amazing, reveling in her touch and her warmth. The touch that I was used to was ass whooping's and brutal fights with Riley.

The last time I could even remember such warmth was… when my mom was alive.


	25. exclusive

_exclusive_

I was a little nervous, I couldn't lie. Jazmine had been pestering me about wanting to tell her parents about us for a good two weeks now. I didn't see much reasoning in it, considering her car was almost always on the street and considering she was at my house and not hers, I couldn't understand how they hadn't put two and two together already. Actually, I was certain that Sarah knew. It was Tom, who I had thought to be smart but was really just a dud if I was going to be honest.

Her parents were important to her though and I wasn't going to deny her. If anything, I should have taken it as a good sign because that meant she planned on staying with me.

Now that I was over analyzing every single detail about our relationship, I realized that we weren't even dating. At least not officially we weren't. In my mind, I had already been calling her my girlfriend for weeks. She was sitting on my bed, scrolling through something on her phone when I turned around and cleared my throat, "Jazmine."

"Yeah?" she said, looking up at me.

"You want to tell your parents about us. Does that mean we're dating?"

She put her phone down and put all her attention on me, "What does dating mean to you?"

At first, I thought this was some trick question, but I decided to answer straight up. "We're exclusive… Not that that wasn't already the case."

She stood up and walked over to me, a huge smile on her face. "I know, that's why I wasn't really worried," she shrugged as she stepped closer to hug and kiss me.


	26. unreasonable

_unreasonable_

I was looking between Sarah and Tom repeatedly. Sarah looked pleased, but Tom looked everything but amused. I had started to bounce my leg up and down and Jazmine had to lay her hand on my knee to get me to stop. Tom noticed instantly, and I noticed the slight flaring of his nostrils.

"So, Daddy, Mommy, I just wanted to tell you guys that we're dating. I know I don't have to tell you anything… but I wanted to, out of respect." Jazmine smiled as she squeezed my knee gently.

Sarah spoke up first, "I'm so happy you decided to tell us sweetie. Huey seems like an amazing man, I'm glad you're with him." She looked at me, a soft look in her eyes and it only did a little bit to calm my slightly frazzled nerves. I don't know why I was doubting myself so much. I was in school for law, I took care of myself, I was well spoken. Not once had I ever given the DuBois' a reason to think negatively of me… Now my brother and granddad were a whole different topic.

"I… I don't approve," Tom said apprehensively, his face scrunching up.

Jazmine shook her head, "I'm not asking for you to approve. I'm telling you that I'm with Huey."

"Tom, let's not start an argument right now, alright? We have to respect Jazmine's life, she's an adult."

"My daughter deserves the best," Tom turned to stare daggers at me, "You think I don't see how your brother acts? What makes you any different from him. I _know_ how you two grew up so I don't believe this act one bit!"

"Daddy you're being unreasonable. Huey isn't anything like Riley and what's it matter how he grew up? He's a great person and you're judging him without even knowing him." Jazmine whined, trying to stand up for me but still be respectful at the same. It was my turn to comfort her, so I did. I grabbed her hand and held it gently.

"With all due respect, Mr. DuBois, I really am nothing like my brother. Whatever you might have heard from my granddad is true, but I promise you that I don't plan on treating Jazmine poorly. I really do care about her."

"All you're trying to do is get into her pants like all young boys do!" Tom yelled, loosening up his tie as he did. I felt myself tense up. Was he about to try and fight me because I knew by looking at him that I could kick his ass if it really came down to it.

"Tom! That is enough," Sarah snapped angrily. "You will not talk down to this young man like this _or_ embarrass Jazmine like this."

Jazmine stood up and I followed suit. "We're going to go. Maybe we can talk about this later," Jazmine sighed softly as she pulled me out the living room and towards the front door.


	27. congratulations

_congratulations_

"Guess what Huey?" Jazmine shouted loudly, almost loud enough to cause some ear damage. She wrapped her arms around me. I don't know what could've been so exciting considering that she was supposed to be studying for her chemistry exam.

"What?" I asked, hugging her back just for the sake of doing it. Her excitement transferred over to me almost instantly.

"I got accepted into the study abroad program next semester! I didn't think I'd get accepted… but I did!" She squealed, peppering kisses all over my face.

Instantly my mood deflated. Study abroad? In all the time that we spent together, how did she not even bring it up, not once? I had caught feelings and now she'd be leaving me so abruptly for a whole semester. "Oh, that's great. Where're you going?"

"Tokyo! It's gonna be amazing. I've been trying since the end of freshman year." Jazmine kissed me before pulling away.

I hated to be that person and kill her happy mood, but I had to ask… "What does this mean for us?"

"Oh." She paused, staring at me with a look of guilt on her face. She hadn't thought about us, that much was obvious. I didn't want her to not go but I couldn't act like it wasn't a big deal.

I raised my hands up in defense. "We can talk about it later, don't worry." I gave her another hug. "Congratulations. It'll be a great experience for you."


	28. amazing

_amazing_

It took a good week and a half for Jazmine to finally bring up the whole studying abroad situation. It was nagging me to talk everything out, but it was obvious she wasn't ready to talk, so I didn't push. She had been more distant than ever, and it was nice to be back around her again.

"I really like you, Huey. I want us to work out, you know? It wasn't like you knew I applied. I don't really know what to do. I can't expect you to wait for me for a whole semester, that'd be selfish. All I know is I'm doing this, no doubt. I don't know is we should try long distance or break up and pick back up when I come back. I mean it depends on what you want too. So… what do you want?"

"I like you too. I don't think I'd mind waiting. Sixteen weeks go by fast when you're working your ass off to pass everything. If we break it off, we probably won't want to try to make it work again." I sighed, dragging my hand down my face, "I'm just ticked off you never said anything. I mean… we've been talking for three months and you had plenty of opportunities."

"I know, I just kind of forgot about it. And it was just so nice being with you that it didn't really cross my mind."

"Not even once?" I asked her seriously. As bad as she wanted to go, and it wasn't thought about at least one time?

"Okay, it did! But I thought I'd get denied again. What else could I expect?" She groaned, "So you want to stay together?"

Stay together was relative because we weren't really dating. We didn't have a title. I nodded my head and she sighed, letting out a huge sigh of relief. "Good. Okay. I promise we'll talk all the time. If you had an iPhone we could Facetime, but I guess Skype will do."

"You know Japan is a whole day ahead of us, right? And there's nothing wrong with my Android." I pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed.

I was pretty relieved, too.


	29. shootout

_shootout_

After finding out that she would be gone soon, I realized I was a lot clingier than I wanted to admit. We just had a little under a month left together and I already knew that between school and work, we wouldn't really get much time together. A small part of me was angry that I was so vulnerable. I had never felt so strongly about somebody before, I had never really opened myself up so willingly to someone before, but Jazmine prodded her way through without me even knowing it.

Being away from her was really going to hurt me. That didn't stop me from cherishing the time we spent together though.

"You're awfully quiet," Jazmine said quietly, looking up at me from her place on my chest.

"Just a lot on my mind," I shrugged, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"Why don't you tell me?" She scooted up slightly and pressed a kiss to my jaw that left my heart jumping a little bit.

"Have I told you about my parents?" I asked quietly.

"No, but you know you don't have to."

I shrugged, "It's not hard to talk about anymore." I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. It honestly wasn't hard to talk about. My dad passed away first, then my mom four years later. "My dad was really into the streets. I guess it was more out of need than want. He was one of the smartest men I knew but he wasn't book smart. I remember me sitting at the table doing homework and he would be amazed that I could even do it. And this was when I was in elementary school. I don't even think he graduated from high school. I guess that's why he was always in the street. I always admired him though, still do. He always provided for us, I know for a fact me, Riley or my mom never went hungry. We didn't have all the amazing stuff everyone else did but we had food and a warm house to go to… I was seven when he got shot in some huge shootout. Sometimes I wonder how things would have turned out if they were still here."

Life would be a lot different. Maybe I would've been in the streets, maybe not. Granddad had moved us out of the hood after my mom passed but it wasn't until recently he decided living in Chicago wouldn't do any good for Riley's life. I didn't bother to look at Jazmine but I felt her nod against my chest and turn closer to me.

"My mom was a small woman but even now I can remember her huge smile, her loud laugh. She used to read to me every night, from any book I wanted. Riley would complain about how it was boring but she would tell him to listen up anyways. I know she's the reason I love reading as much as I do, for sure. She took it really hard when my dad died but she was still strong. Granddad moved in with us to help out and everything, have a man in the house and all that. He helped out as much as he could but there were times where we didn't have heat or electricity. I didn't know she had cancer at first but I knew something was wrong. She was losing her beautiful hair, looked frail and sick all the time. She wasn't diagnosed until she was already at stage 3."

"I would've loved to meet them… they sound amazing," Jazmine said quietly, rubbing my side slowly and kissing my chest gently.

"They would've really liked you, Jaz…" I trailed off into thought thinking about how I would've been proud to bring a girl like Jazmine home to my parents.


	30. good

_good_

"What did you say?" Caesar looked at me dramatically, tucking his dreads behind his ear and cupping it. "She's leaving you?"

I sighed heavily, "No, she's not leaving me. She's going to study abroad for one semester."

Hiro sucked his teeth and shook his head, "Bro, she hid that from you. Girls don't forget anything I swear to God. She was _so_ excited and just straight up forgot? That's some bullshiiiiiiit."

Caesar chimed in with his agreement.

I just shrugged, "She didn't even think she was gonna get in. That's why she forgot about it. You're trying to get into my head and I don't like that shit."

"Nobody is tryna get in your head, we're trying to tell you wassup. If she was lying then I'm just saying, this sets a bad precedent is all," Caesar sucked his teeth loudly and leaned back in my desk chair. "Other than that, y'all good?"

"Yeah… we good."

"She got any friends I could hook up with?" Hiro asked jokingly, but I knew a small part of him was dead serious.

* * *

a/n: really short chapter but the last one was long. thank you for all the reviews so far! i hope you guys really do enjoy reading _coffee._


	31. exotic

_Exotic_

"Huey? Where the hell has cutie pie been? I'm tired of looking at you two lazy niggas. I wish I had a granddaughter."

Jazmine was leaving in a week so she was busier than ever getting ready to go. I hadn't seen her since last week and honestly, I was cranky. The last three weeks had gone by so fast. "She's MIA."

Riley then found it the right time to show his face for the first time this wonderful Sunday morning. "She leaving for China or some shit, so she leaving Huey gay ass."

"How do you even know that?" I shouted, "And she's going to Japan."

"Same shit." he shrugged. "And I ain't even gonna lie, I'm messing with her roommate."

I didn't even bother saying anything since I was pretty sure that his relationship with Cindy wasn't long-lasting. I don't know how I didn't notice and in the back of my mind, I wondered if Jazmine knew.

"Damn she's leaving you? That sucks, you ain't gonna find a better one than her. Too many hoes nowadays." Granddad mumbled, sucking his teeth loudly.

"We're staying together. It's just for one semester," I sighed, wondering why I even had to explain this in the first place.

"She gonna get some exotic dick and never go back to your dumbass, Huey." Riley snickered from the kitchen. It didn't take long for Granddad to join in on the laughter.

All I did was grab my stuff and head back up to my room.


	32. love

_love_

I had asked Jazmine if she could spare a night with me before she left tomorrow. I knew I was going to see her off at the airport with her parents, but that wasn't going to be enough. She told me as soon as she was done with everything, she would come over.

When she finally rang the doorbell, I let out a sigh of relief. "Hey Huey. You look sleepy."

"Nah, I'm good. You got everything packed up for tomorrow?" I asked, wrapping my arm around her as we walked into my room. It was almost midnight so Granddad was dead asleep and Riley was in his room.

She yawned and nodded, "Yeah. This week has been so crazy. I'm sorry we haven't hung out much."

"It's fine," I lied, "We spent all of our break together, and I know you have to spend time with everyone else."

She sat down on my bed and I closed the door behind me. For the first time in awhile, I didn't have much to say. We had gotten a lot closer than I had initially planned and I had spent a lot of my free time just sorting out my thoughts. I told Jazmine things only Riley and Granddad knew, things only Hiro or Caesar knew, things only I knew myself. I told her about my mom and my dad, how my dad died and my mom died from breast cancer. How I was scared about what my future would be like, how I was scared about the life Riley would live if he didn't stop his wannabe thug act. I cried in front of her, telling her my worst fears. She knew everything about me.

I loved her.

"I'm gonna miss you," she said quietly.

"I'm gonna miss you too. But it'll go by fast. And we'll talk whenever we get the chance." I got into bed, laying down on my usual side. She followed suit, getting underneath the covers and laying her head on my shoulder.

"But still, we've spent almost every day together this month. Now I won't even be able to see your face or kiss you or hug you. It's gonna suck," she whined.

I didn't really know what to say to that. Of course, it was gonna suck. "You'll get used to it. You'll be learning new things, seeing new things and in comparison, it won't even be that bad. Don't worry."

Seeing Jazmine off the next morning wasn't anything special. She had packed everything into her parent's car last night, so I spent the entire morning with her until she had to go. I gave her a hug and a very chaste peck on the cheek, considering her parents were there and I knew for a fact that her dad still didn't approve of us. She said she would text me as soon as she landed in LAX and then again once she landed in Tokyo to keep me updated.

All I could think about was how I could only hope the weeks went by quickly.


	33. her

_her_

For the first three weeks, Jazmine was true to her word. We talked at least every other day, whether it be on the phone or video chatting. We texted constantly despite the extreme time differences. I wasn't expecting her to stay on top of that, she did have to live her life and enjoy her time there and pass her classes.

I went to my classes, got coffee at Jo's, and went along with life just like I did before Jazmine. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss her but by week six, I stopped expecting messages from her and stopped checking my phone completely for messages from her. I was lucky if I even got a text message from her twice within a week. I couldn't be mad at her, so I just acted as if it never bothered me.

It was the beginning of March when I met her, Vee. She was in my political science class but I hadn't bothered to pay any attention to her until she sat down and tried to talk to me. She was beautiful, dark brown eyes and a beautiful complexion. She smelled good and carried herself well and even though that's not why I was talking to her, I'd be an idiot to not notice it. Despite her looks, she was smart. We started getting lunch together, talking about the various topics that we discussed in class. Then we traded numbers. Then she started hanging out at my house.

I didn't realize how far it had gotten until Riley had called me out, "So wassup with you and Jaz? And how come you pulling all the bad bitches lately?"

"Me and Vee are just friends," I replied. Who took anything that Riley said seriously?

"Yeah, don't look like just friends nigga. Next thing you know, you gon be clapping them cheeks," Riley snickered as he walked past me and up the steps.

That was when it hit me like a ton of bricks that he was _right_.


	34. heavy

_heavy_

I ignored Vee like she would be the death of me. I stopped replying to any text messages, ignored her when she would talk to me in person. Once class was over, I was the first one out the door. I wasn't gonna give in and make it harder than it had to be. I was still with Jazmine and regardless of the fact that we rarely talked, we were together.

A huge part of me regretted the fact that I never even brought Jazmine up. Then maybe I wouldn't even be in this predicament. Vee would've known and I wouldn't be stuck trying to get out of this weird crush phase because I would be lying if I said I didn't like her.

"Excuse me," Vee said as I stood up, blocking me from leaving the aisle.

"Yeah?" I said nonchalantly, trying not to look her in her face.

"You act like you don't know how to talk to somebody all of a sudden," she stared me dead in my eyes and crossed her arms.

"I've been busy," I shrugged, "I gotta go, so can you move?" I didn't bother waiting for her to move away, so I gently pushed past her hoping she would get the point. I started walking away but I knew she was following after me, probably waiting for us to get out the building so she could really lay into me.

As soon as we exited the building and turned the corner, she grabbed at my arm, "Huey! You've been ignoring me. For what?"

"It's getting too heavy," I sighed. A small part of me didn't know why I still hadn't said anything about Jazmine.

"Yeah, I _know_ it was getting heavy. That's why I'm so fucking confused. I like you and you deadass just stopped hitting me up. What kinda bullshit is that?"

"Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea."

"So you just like every lame ass nigga I've talked to, right?" Vee snapped, flipping me off and turning to walk away.

I didn't know why but I grabbed her arm, "Look I'm sorry." Everything told me to just let her walk away and let her think I was an asshole but she liked me. She said it so blatantly that she liked me and it felt nice. Jazmine told me all these promises about talking all the time and I had been put on the back burner for so long… shit, I wasn't even on the stove anymore. But Vee was here and she liked being around me and she was actually here.

"Prove it," Vee looked up at me, a smirk on her face.


	35. twirling

_twirling_

Twenty minutes later, I was in Vee's apartment wondering what the fuck I was doing. She hadn't really said much but she locked the door behind her and excused herself to the bathroom.

What the fuck was I doing? I wasn't a cheater. I was raised better than that. I had more common sense than that. I loved Jazmine DuBois and for some reason, I was here in some other girls house. I pulled out my phone and texted Caesar quickly, hoping that Vee wouldn't come out while I was. This man never checked his messages but I had to hope with my whole being that he would pull through as long as I could stall.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket when I heard a door open and my jaw damn near dropped. She came out in some tight silk shorts with a matching top. It looked like she just put some lotion on the way her skin was glowing. I grit my teeth and shook my head as she stepped closer to me.

"You can sit down if you want?" She smiled, twirling around and falling onto her couch.

I stiffly moved over to the couch, sitting down and trying hard to keep my resolve strong. Caesar needed to pull through, soon. Soft hands were trailing all over me, tugging at my jacket and then my sweater. Lips just barely grazing my skin and touches so subtle I thought I was going to lose my mind. "Damn," I sighed softly.

Then my phone started buzzing and I acted surprised as I reached down to pull it out. It was Caesar and I had to fight to hide my smile. "Wassup?"

"Are you serious?" I acted surprised, listening to his fake story.

"Damn… bad timing but I got you. Come pick me up by the Walgreens? Alright, bye." I hung up and turned to Vee. "I'm sorry, my best friend needs me. I have to go."

"You sure? We can do something real quick if you want."

I shook my head, "I should be there when he gets to the store, it's really serious." I stood up and pulled my jacket back on. I apologized and escorted myself out only for her to follow behind me and I dodged a goodbye kiss so quick I almost broke my neck.


	36. caught up

_caught up_

I sighed in relief as I saw Caesar's car pull up. I hopped in the passenger's seat and looked at him, "Thanks."

"No problem but I think we need to have a heart to heart, don't you?" He asked as he pulled off.

I just nodded, just grateful I wasn't with Vee right now. Caesar knew me as well as I knew myself and if he could see something was wrong then I had to at least listen and hear him out. Despite us being so alike, I liked to think that we kept each other from stepping too far out of our own heads. A blunt and a good conversation were all I really needed.

 **oOo**

"So, that Vee girl. What's good with you and Jazmine?" Caesar asked as he pulled out a blunt from his drawer.

"I haven't spoken to Jazmine in almost two weeks. Vee was here and I took it too far." I shrugged, feeling pissed at myself for putting myself in a shitty situation.

"Nah," he took a hit, "You know that shit way deeper than taking it too far. You mad at Jazmine for doing her own thing. Sure maybe you was feeling Vee, but you _let_ that happen. Now I'm not saying I never fucked up but damn. You one of the smartest niggas I know and you ain't a cheater."

"Yeah I'm mad. Jazmine acted like everything was fine and then just up and left. How else was I supposed to react? I love that girl and she's not even taking a second out of her day to acknowledge me."

"That love shit will have you thinking funny, it really will," he laughed, "Don't be mad, man. You know what I realized? Women give up so much for us. They give up the whole world and we get mad when they don't want to give it up anymore."

"I don't want her to give it up?"

"You do, even if it's just a little bit. It's just human nature. You love her and out of spite, you got close to some pretty bitch because you're mad she's living in her own world. Let her create her world, nigga. You gonna have yours, so why can't she have hers?"

I knew he wasn't gonna say much more until I had something substantial to say so I reached out for the blunt and we passed it back and forth, not really talking about anything for awhile. I hated to admit it but, he was right.

"Should I tell her?" I sighed heavily.

"Up to you. It's all fun and games until y'all chilling and Vee shows up. Besides, you should make sure she doesn't already know. Don't get caught up in nothing man."


	37. on read

_on read_

Vee kept texting me and blowing my phone up, and the more she did it, the more I knew I had to tell Jazmine immediately. There was no way this could wait until she came back. Everything that Vee was sending to me was tempting but it didn't replace Jazmine. So, I sucked it up, and I called her on Skype.

"Hey, Huey," she smiled at me. She obviously wasn't out of bed yet since she was still wearing her pink bonnet. "I'm sorry we haven't talked lately. But I missed your voice, and you face sooo much."

I shrugged, not wanting to steer the conversation anywhere else. "Look, Jaz… I have to tell you something."

I saw her face drop almost immediately, worry replacing happiness. "What is it?"

Another buzz came through my phone, from Vee again. I swiped away the notification and sighed, "I don't know a nice way to even put this other than I almost cheated on you."

"Is this supposed to be a joke?" Jazmine snapped and then I saw the tears falling, "You don't even joke around. Of course this isn't a joke."

"Jazmine, I'm sorry. Can I expla-," I started, only for the call to end. Of course, she hung up. I don't know how I expected her to sit there and listen as to why. A small part of me wanted to call her back, make her listen so I could just explain myself. I would tell her everything from how I felt, to who Vee was. I just didn't want to lose her.

I end up texting her: _I'm sorry, can we please talk when you feel up to it?_

She read it as soon as I sent it and left it that way.


	38. fury

_fury_

I was sitting on my bed, reading through one of my textbooks for class when the door banged open. I turned slowly, ready to hear Riley rant about something, only to see Cindy. Of all people. It didn't take me long to put two and two together and realize that Jazmine had obviously talked to Cindy.

It was nice that she could ignore me for weeks at a time but tell Cindy something in a span of two days.

"Get out of my room?" I said, bookmarking my page and putting it on my nightstand.

"Hell no! You think you can just cheat on my girl Jazzy? You think you so scary that I won't fuck you up?!" Cindy shouted, getting closer to me. It wasn't like I was scared of her, it would take me a second to restrain her. That's not to say that she wasn't a little intimidating. She was tall, lean and had an attitude that you punch you in the face before she did. "I know good and damn well Jazmine is one of the best damn things to happen to your ass. I don't even care if she keeping up with that 'almost cheated' shit. You cheated! You're a dumb ass, lying ass cheater and you crazy if you don't think I'm _not_ willing to cut the head of your dick off and shove it in your ear for Jazzy! I hope you know you don't fucking deserve someone as loving and perfect and as amazing as her!"

Riley finally ran in, grabbing Cindy by her waist and dragging her out of my room. She put up one hell of a fight and right before Riley yanked her all the way out, she grabbed the cup of water on my nightstand and tossed it at my face. "Stupid piece of shit!"

Riley sucked his teeth, "I'm trying to take a shit and you wildin' out like this? The fuck is wrong with you?"

I sighed and closed my door, locking it just in case Cindy escaped Riley. Hell hath no fury with a girl's best friend.


	39. contradicting

For clarity, Huey is in bold, Jazmine is in italics.

* * *

contradicting

 _Jazmine we really do need to talk_

 **What is there to even talk about?**

 **How you cheated?**

I didn't think I would be right to say that I _almost_ cheated, but this was the first time she had replied to my texts in days and if I said the wrong thing I could blow it completely. A small part of me was hopeful that she hadn't ended it yet. I basically spent days expecting a text saying that it was over. I wouldn't even be mad if it happened that way because I knew that I deserved it.

 _I'm sorry Jaz_

I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, but I didn't want the first time I said it to be like this. I didn't want her to think I was trying to manipulate her either.

 **Yeah I'm sorry too. How could I have been so stupid to trust you? I know that I wasn't perfect in keeping in touch with you but I'm halfway across the fucking world. I'm having fun and I'm still trying to get good grades and I'm experiencing all this great stuff and now I have to think about how I was dumb enough to trust you.**

 **You know, I should just call it off. I'm okay with acting like I never knew you at this point.**

 **The same day you tell me, I'm trying to find a way to apologize to you and make up for the fact that we stopped talking. I'm glad I didn't do it now.**

 _Jazmine, I didn't cheat. I really didn't even wanna say that but I need to make sure that you know that. I didn't cheat._

 **You let it get close enough and that's what matters. I actually thought you were different lmfao. You're just like every other guy trying to get his dick wet.**

 _Don't even say that was my only intention_

 _I told you how long it had been since I had sex. I would be okay if we hadn't done anything even now. That's not why I'm with you._

 **Then why else would you even be entertaining some other girl in the first place? Stop contradicting yourself.**

 _You act as if I live and breathe sex like I don't have any emotions._


	40. idiot

**Huey** , _Vee_

* * *

idiot

I was hurt. I had always prided myself on being level-headed and being the one to make smart decisions, but here I was just making dumb choices left and right. This is why I didn't do relationships. They had the ability to mess up one's mindset. I could see Jazmine's point, but I just wanted her to see mine as well. All of this wasn't my fault and she had to realize that.

But until she did, if she thought sex was all that I was after, then why not just go along with it? So I texted Vee.

 **Sorry about the other day. I'm free if you are.**

 _It's fine, is everything okay?_

 **Yeah. Want me to go to your place or you want to come here?**

 _Where do you live?_

I gave her my address and we decided that she would come to me. Every time I texted her I would check my phone, hoping that Jazmine would reply or call but each time there was nothing from her. I told her not to ring the bell when she got here because my granddad was on the recliner, knocked out in front of the TV and the last thing I needed was for him to wonder who was ringing the bell so late at night.

Thirty minutes later, I let her in and I brought her into my room.

"So, what happened earlier?" She said, unzipping her jacket and revealing a lacy, baby pink top that left nothing to the imagination.

I bit my bottom lip and locked my door, to be safe, and grabbed her jacket from her to put on my chair. "My friend was going through it and he needed me. Everything is good, I promise."

"Good. I thought I had done something wrong and I was so worried," she smiled, leaning forward to kiss me as her hand automatically went to my inner thigh. "I _really_ do like you Huey."

I just nodded, knowing this was wrong but already semi-hard and ready to just get it over with. "You look really good."

"Thanks, I got dressed up just for you," she stood up and stepped out of her leggings, revealing matching underwear that looked… crotchless.

I grit my teeth and quickly got out of my pants and shirt, leaving me in just my boxers and grabbed her by her waist and pulling her on my lap. "All this for me?"

"Who else?" she murmured as she started grinding against me at the perfect angle and kissing and sucking on my neck. It didn't take long before I could tell she was wet by the sounds and from the wet spot on the front of my boxers. "Please fuck me, Huey."

I reached over to my nightstand and searched around for a condom, when she tapped my hand away softly, "I got the shot so you don't have to worry."

"I.. don't know about that," I shook my head, pushing her hand away and finally grabbing a condom.

She smiled and kissed my neck again, bucking her hips against me in a way that made me groan, "Don't worry. I just want you right now."

I just nodded and flipped her over on her back, taking off my boxers before getting in between her legs and sliding inside her. It was good, I wasn't going to lie. But it didn't feel right. I had to force myself to stay hard and finish and after a certain point, I had to close my eyes and stop looking at her. She wasn't Jazmine. And I was an idiot.

When she left the next morning, I looked in the hallway and I even went downstairs really quick to check before I brought her out the room. The coast was clear, Riley was nowhere to be found and I could hear Granddad snoring in his room. Truth be told, I didn't even want her to stay the night but I couldn't make up an excuse to get her to leave and she was one of the most persistent girls I had ever met.

But when I turned around after walking her out, I saw Riley standing right there with his arm crossed. "You a dumbass nigga. Vee might be bad as fuck but you know she a hoe. You got Jazmine and you straight fucking it up. Now, I hate being in gossip, cause I ain't no bitch but… Cindy told me that Jazmine said she was gon forgive you. And now what? You know if I gotta say something you really fucking up. Get your shit together."

I just clenched my jaw and walked away. He was right. Once Riley said something seriously, you knew it meant you fucked up.


	41. lesson

_lesson_

It had been two weeks since I had sex with Vee. She had been texting and calling me like crazy, but I did everything I could to avoid her, even stopped going to class. I'm sure she did everything short of showing up in front of my house and ringing the bell.

After Riley, of all people, telling me was wrong, I knew that I had to tell Jazmine. But I couldn't find it in myself to do it. I knew I was wrong, but I couldn't tell Jazmine. I knew that I had to tell her at some point, but I just didn't know when the right time would be. Did I want to wait and let her think everything was okay until she came back? Or did I want to tell her now, get it out and the open and hope for the best? I was conflicted. So, I went to the who was the wisest person I knew, despite the many things that proved that wrong, my granddad.

I knew he was downstairs in the living room, so I went downstairs and sat on the couch for a few minutes, not really saying anything.

"What do you want, boy?" He asked, muting the TV.

"I don't really know how to explain-"

"Just _say_ it. Men don't beat around the bush, I know I taught you this."

"I cheated on Jazmine," I paused, "I know why I did it. I don't need help with that. I just, I don't know how to tell her. Riley told me she was going to forgive me cause I almost cheated on her - I told her about that - and she had to think about it. I just really, really fucked up Granddad. She's so important to me."

I looked at him, taking in his stern face. He nodded slowly and shook his head. "I can't say that I never cheated. Men are wired differently. Some learn their lesson early on, other niggas don't ever learn. I'm not saying you have an excuse. Be a man and face your consequences. Either way, learn something from it. Don't be that dumb nigga who can't learn."

I nodded, "Thanks, Granddad."


	42. chance

_chance_

After leaving the living room, I went up to my room and called Jazmine. It was the middle of the day but I knew that if I asked to call that she would ignore me. It rang four times until she picked up, "Hello."

"Jazmine. Hey. How are you?" I asked, my heart beating in my chest. I haven't heard her voice in so long, and I missed it.

"I'm fine. Why are you calling?"

"Are you busy?"

"No, I'm not. I just ate lunch. Why did you call?" she asked again, more serious this time.

"Jaz, I fucked up. I know I did. I thought I was going to lose you and I was mad-"

She cut me off, "-I don't want to hear this."

"Just listen. I was mad at you. I had sex with Vee. I know it was wrong. It happened two weeks ago and I didn't know how to tell you. I haven't fucked with her at all since. It was a mistake, probably the biggest mistake I've ever made. And I know it's crazy that I'm even asking you, but please give me another chance. I won't need another one."

"Bye, Huey." I heard her voice crack and someone in the background asked if she was okay.

"Jazmine, please? I love you. Please."

"Fuck you, don't call me again."


	43. showing out

_showing out_

I was blocked from everything. I couldn't find Jazmine on anything, I couldn't call her, and I couldn't text her. I couldn't say that I wasn't expecting it, she was nice but I knew she wasn't going to let me walk all over her. I had messed up and there wasn't really anything I could do about it.

But I could at least tell Vee, she deserved to know the truth, too.

So I texted her, asked her to meet me at the Starbucks on campus after class on Wednesday so I could talk to her. I went to class that day and she was nowhere to be found, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and waited at the Starbucks for fifteen minutes. I was just about to leave when I saw her come in, obviously looking for me. I stood up to catch her attention and sat back down when she noticed me.

"Hey, Huey. Sorry I'm late," she sighed, sliding off her sunglasses. It was finally getting warm and staying that way and everybody was showing out.

"It's cool," I shrugged. I took a sip of my juice, already feeling sick to my stomach.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked coyly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I have a girlfriend. No, I had a girlfriend. When we had sex, I had a girlfriend. And when I went to your apartment I had a girlfriend. She's studying abroad this semester." I rushed out, wanting to get everything out. I had asked to talk in a public place to avoid her making a scene, but I guess she didn't really care much about that.

She scooched her chair back and stood abruptly, swinging her hand at my face with a closed fist. I would've taken a slap, but a punch, was she crazy? Then she grabbed my cup and smashed it into my face before throwing the cup at me.

"Fucking pig," she snapped before walking away and storming out the restaurant.

* * *

a/n: coffee is almost over! I only planned for 50 chapters, so we've got 7 left. how do you guys think the story will end?


	44. the thought

_the thought_

"You always lookin' like a dumbass," Riley snickered from his spot on the couch.

"Yeah, I guess so," I shrugged. The comment had hurt a lot more than I wanted it to. I _knew_ I looked like a dumbass so Riley was the last person I wanted to hear it from. I spent the last month stewing in a pot of anger and sadness. I didn't do much but go to school, work and sleep. Every now and then, Riley, Ceasar or Hiro would get me to do something, but most of the time I was doing my own thing. Now that Jazmine would be back in a week, I was just anxious all the time.

She had unblocked me from everything but I hadn't bothered messaging her, worried she would just block me again. Would she want to talk to me when she got back? Would we manage to work things out?

The main thing I worried about was that I told her I loved her under the wrong circumstances. She probably thought I was just trying to get her back, when in reality it was the truth.

"Don't stress it though, be smarter next time and don't get caught, nigga," He paused the game and headed to the kitchen.

"Easy for you to say, Cindy looks like the crazy type," I rolled my eyes. I wasn't even dating her and I knew from first-hand experience.

"She is. But I fuck with her heavy anyway so I'm not trying to run game on her. I do gotta say you and Jazmine looked real good together. You gonna try to get her back?"

"I doubt she even wants to talk to me. Not that I wouldn't try… But you know better than I do because of Cindy." I shrugged.

"Yeah, issa no man. She not taking you back at this point but that don't mean anything. You live across the street from each other so it's not like you not gonna run into her. All I'm saying is play it smart, maybe you get some post-relationship cheeks."

"Like she would ever let me fuck again," I sighed. The thought was nice though. "I'm gonna go smoke with Ceez after this, wanna come?"

"For sure."


	45. contort

_contort_

I had only been to Jo's a handful of time since Jazmine broke up with me. I really did miss my coffee, but going had felt wrong. We had met here and I felt like me even stepping foot in the shop would ruin those good memories. It was a crazy notion, I should have been going all the time, considering Jazmine wasn't there and I wouldn't have to worry about seeing her.

I order my usual, black medium coffee.

The barista was side-eyeing me and she grabbed my cup, "What's your name?"

"Huey?" I asked, considering there were only five people in here who were already served and sitting down. Besides, they never asked for names here.

"Oh, you're Jazmine's ex, huh?" She looked up at me and smirked, shaking her head.

"What?" I felt my face contort, was Jazmine really out here telling everybody what happened? It was one thing to tell her best friend, but a fucking coworker?

"You heard me, you're not shit," she snapped quietly before looking back to see if any of her other coworkers heard her.

"You outta fucking pocket. Mind your got damn business." I snapped back, loud enough for everyone to look at me. I could feel all the ignorant shit about to spill past my lips and I knew if I didn't leave I would have destroyed this girl's feelings.

Two girls came from the back, worried looks on their faces. "Is there a problem?" One asked and I could already see they were taking her side.

"I just want my money back so I can leave, thanks," I said through grit teeth.


	46. normal

_normal_

I was laying in bed when I heard the doorbell rang. I was hoping Riley would be the one to get it, but apparently not. "One of y'all niggas go answer the damn door!" Granddad shouted from his room. I sighed and got up, sliding on my slides before heading downstairs.

The doorbell rang again and I opened it, wondering what was so important on a Sunday at ten in the morning. "Jazmine."

I felt something drop to my stomach, my heart? The bundle of nerves that I had been holding in so much lately? I grounded myself, "How was Tokyo?" I tried to look at anything but her but she looked so unbelievably good but different. She had the same green eyes and light skin, but her hair was red, out and wild, no makeup on, and she was obviously in her relaxing clothes. And she smelled so good. If I hadn't messed anything up, I could've been hugging and kissing her now.

"It was great, thanks for asking. Can we talk?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah. Of course… where do you..?" I asked, trailing off. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea so where was up to her.

"There's a tree up on the hill, we can go there." She stepped back and crossed her arms, "I'll wait for you to get ready if you need to."

I shook my head, grabbing my keys just in case, and closed the door behind me. We walked in silence, which was actually uncomfortable for the first time in a while. My heart was racing in my chest and I just wished that she would talk or say something. But she didn't until she reached the top of the hill and sat down against the tree.

"It's really nice today," she said quietly, looking out over Woodcrest with a small smile, "I really missed Woodcrest."

"It was different without you," I said awkwardly, not really sure what would be the right thing to say.

"I'm sure it was," she paused. "I missed you too. And then everything happened and I was so mad at you. You don't understand how hurt I was. The first time, I was willing to talk it over with you. I figured, it happened but you stopped it and that's what should have been important. And when you called that day I was ready to just… let it go. Then you said you had to tell me something and I just knew immediately we were done."

"Jazmine…"

"I'm talking, so listen to me. Okay?" She said, patting the spot next to her. As I sat down I could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"I felt dumb. I trusted you and believed that you wouldn't go and do something dumb like go and cheat. And I was in Japan acting crazy because I was so hurt. I mean, you see that I dyed my hair but I also got a tattoo… and like three piercings. But that's beside the point. I trusted you. I like you, so much. Even now."

Then the tears started falling and I felt worse than before. I didn't bother to do something like wipe them away or kiss her senselessly like they did in the movies, but I did grab her hand and held it in both of mine. I took a deep breath and looked at her, "I was wrong. I'm sorry I hurt you. I pride myself on being this smart guy when I'm really not all the time. It took me talking to Caesar to even understand why I did what I did. I was mad, I felt like you ditched me. You were having all this fun and doing great things and I wasn't a part of it. And with Vee… that was never my intention. She was just a friend at first but she made the moves and every time I thought about you, I knew it was wrong. But I knew that I was trying to get back at you." I pulled Jazmine's hand up to mine and kissed the back of it gently. "I meant it when I said I loved you. Never have I ever felt the way I felt with someone the way I felt with you. I've told you stuff nobody knows about me, you know the weakest parts of me. And I'm not saying this to try and win you back or anything. I just need you to know that you're amazing Jazmine. You're smart and beautiful, charismatic and… just everything. Just amazing."

"What could I have done differently?" She sniffled quietly, using her free hand to grab her shirt and wipe her face.

"I don't think I should answer that."

"Tell me, Huey. I wasn't the only person that fucked up."

"But compared, they're so different." I glanced at her and she shrugged, so I sighed and started, "You promised we would talk. And I know that we wouldn't be able to every day, that's unrealistic. But then it was once a week. Then you didn't even bother to text me. You were just gone."

She just nodded. And then she started sobbing. "I know. I know I did. And I don't know why and I'm so sorry Huey. I caused all of this."

"It's not your fault. I could've handled it differently. We both know that. Relax, Jaz."

"I wanted us to last," She mumbled out quietly once she has finally stopped crying her eyes out. "I was thinking about birthdays together, holidays with each other… graduating together. Guess I was just being an idiot."

"Don't say that."

"Can I hug you?"

"I won't stop you," I said softly, not expecting for her to jump to it so quickly. She twisted around and kneeled before wrapping me up in a tight hug. It took me a minute to hug her back, but once I did, everything felt normal again.

* * *

a/n: hopefully I finish out this story this weekend! I was iffy about this chapter and Jazmine's acceptance but it has been a good month since she found out. I know I haven't really done a good job keeping up with the timeline of this story BUT for reference, the beginning of the story was the beginning/middle of October (Fall semester) and now it's the end of the spring semester for them.


	47. deep

_deep_

"I don't think we'll ever go back to what we were," Jazmine said as she let go of me.

The words hit deep, but I couldn't say anything because it was ultimately her choice. We probably wouldn't ever go back to before, but it was nice while it lasted. I would just do as I was taught, and use this as a lesson. I should have known from the jump that nothing good really lasted long, regardless of who's fault it really was that it ended.

I didn't really have much to say, so I stood up, wiping grass off my basketball shorts that I had plucked up during our conversation, "I understand."

"But maybe we'll get to be friends again, at some point?" I watched as she bit her bottom lip, clearly avoiding eye contact. She was so smart, but she had a lot of growing to do, even I knew that much.

"That's completely up to you, really…" I said nonchalantly, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

She smirked and sighed, "That's so like you. To act like you don't even care."

"Well it's not really your problem anymore, is it?" I stopped myself from saying anything else, "I really don't want to argue. I'll see you around."

And with that, I turned around and started walking down the hill.


	48. heartbreak

_heartbreak_

I don't really know what I expected to happen after we talked. A small part of me hoped that I would be able to just put this behind me and move on with my life but I just couldn't. I would have been a wreck had we never talked, but this wasn't any better either. The other part hoped that there was a chance for us to salvage what we had with one another. Obviously, neither was realistic.

I had no idea what the hell I was going through but I just wanted it to end. I could literally feel the pain in my chest anytime I thought about Jazmine.

I was stuck in a slump. I would see her all the time across the street. There was nothing there on her end, I could tell that she was just saying hey or waving for the sake of not making it awkward. It made me want to avoid her completely, just so I didn't have to go through the process of seeing her. Because every time I did, I had to think about all the dumb shit I did and how nice it would have been to actually get a chance to have a relationship with her.


	49. glowing

_glowing_

Jazmine was glowing. I hadn't seen her for a few weeks, she had apparently gone on vacation with her parents. If I thought that she looked good before, it was even better now. I was outside playing basketball with Riley, so it wasn't like I was going out of my way, looking for her or anything.

I was expecting a wave if she made eye contact with one of us, but to my surprise, she actually walked over to the edge of the driveway. "Hey Riley, hey Huey." She smiled sweetly, tossing a braid back over her shoulder.

Riley bounced the ball and stopped it with his foot, "Wassup Yellow?" then he snorted, "Actually, you lookin' like redbone now so I guess I can't call you Yellow no more."

Yellow? Riley and Jazmine were close enough for nicknames? That bothered me a little, despite knowing that it was only because of Cindy. Other than that, the joke was funny. Jazmine was closer to my skin tone than she was her own, she tanned pretty nicely.

"Yeah, be quiet," she rolled her eyes at Riley, "Once I peel I'll be back to my normal skin tone. But, I just wanted to remind you that we're supposed to hang out. Cindy wants to know why you aren't replying but I'll tell her you're playing basketball. Oh and Huey?"

"Yeah?" I wiped the sweat from my eyebrows.

"I'll be back at Jo's again. So, I hope I'll see you around? I know it's your favorite." she smiled and turned around after saying goodbye to me, and see you later to Riley.

It wasn't until after she went into her house that Riley snickered, "You know what that means, right?"

"Shut the hell up," I snapped, grabbing my shirt off the ground to wipe off more of the sweat. "It doesn't mean anything."


	50. deja vu

_medium black_

I sighed, ready to get out of the heat and get into somewhere that had air condition. I still hadn't had my coffee fix but before everything has gone down the drain, Jazmine had sworn up and down that the iced coffee at Jo's was amazing and it wasn't watered down. Something about walking up to Jo's knowing Jazmine was there, felt a little nostalgic.

But it wasn't like she didn't expect me to stop coming, so there wasn't a problem with me showing up. Unless one of her co-workers tried to pull some more out of pocket stuff. I smirked a little and shook my head, I was overthinking it. Here goes nothing.

It wasn't too crowded, a few people sitting randomly here and there trying to get out the heat just like me. Jazmine was behind the counter, stacking cups and lids and when she looked up she smiled, "Welcome to Jo's, what can I get for you?" It was the standard greeting, especially for Jazmine since she was such a stickler for the rules.

I walked up to the counter, my heart skipped a beat for a minute. "That iced coffee you were talking about a while back?"

"Medium right? Do you want it black?" she wrinkled her nose at me, "It'll taste better with sugar and creamer."

I smiled and shrugged. It really was nostalgic. She still had the big bamboo earrings framing her face, her eyes were just as striking. The only difference was instead of strawberry blond curls, she had a bunch of red at the top of her head. "Don't make it too sweet or too light."

"You got it," she smiled, ringing me up and marking my cup before getting to work. Once she was done, she handed me my cup. "Have a nice day."

"You too," I replied, taking a sip of my iced coffee as I walked out the door. It wasn't too bad.

* * *

a/n: And that's the end of _coffee._ I wasn't sure what I was expecting with this story, I just know I wanted it to end almost the same way that it started and that I wanted it to be somewhat realistic. But thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited or followed _coffee._ What was your favorite part? What do you wish did/didn't happen?

Other than that, I hope this is a story you want to come back to (it's pretty short, only 20k words).


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